The Colorado Trust Expands Community Partnership Staff
Media contact: Julian Kesner, The Colorado Trust, 303-539-3147
DENVER, COLO.—The Colorado Trust, a foundation dedicated to creating fair and equal opportunities for Coloradans to lead healthy lives, has hired Jess Hankins, Candace Johnson and Mia Ramirez as community partners.
The Trust now has seven community partners living and working in cities, towns and neighborhoods statewide. The community partners help organize, encourage and empower resident-led initiatives to improve communities and make them healthier places to live, utilizing funding from The Trust.
Hankins will work with communities in Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Lake, Moffat, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt and Summit counties. She previously served as public health specialist for Garfield County Public Health in Rifle, where she is also an adjunct faculty member at Colorado Mountain College. Hankins also worked at Eagle County Public Health. She has a Master of Science degree from Colorado State University.
Johnson will work with communities in Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver and Jefferson counties. She was recently a fellow at the Regional Institute for Health and Environmental Leadership, and has also consulted at The Denver Foundation’s Resident Leadership Institute. Johnson managed or participated in community organizing work at the Rape Assistance and Awareness Program, Food and Water Watch and Colorado Jobs with Justice, among others. Additionally, she spent three years on the grantmaking committee for the Chinook Fund. Johnson attended Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Ramirez will work with communities in Douglas, El Paso, Elbert, Lincoln and Teller counties. A Colorado Springs native, she previously served as senior community health specialist at Kaiser Permanente in southern Colorado. Ramirez also worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the Multnomah County Health Equity Initiative, in Portland, Ore.; and the Pan American Health Organization in Chile. She was recently appointed as a trustee of the Colorado Springs Health Foundation, and is fluent in Spanish. Ramirez has a Master of Public Health degree from Boston University.
“Candace, Jess and Mia all bring exceptional skills and experience to this important work in Colorado communities,” said Ned Calonge, MD, MPH, president and CEO of The Colorado Trust. “As we empower Coloradans to create their own visions for improved health and well-being, these talented new community partners will be there to help them every step of the way.”
About The Colorado Trust
The Colorado Trust is a foundation dedicated to achieving health equity. The Trust believes all Coloradans should have fair and equal opportunities to lead healthy, productive lives regardless of race, ethnicity, income or where we live. The Trust focuses on policies and information related to advancing health equity, as well as projects that address health equity in partnership with communities throughout Colorado. For more information, visit www.coloradotrust.org.
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